Nature Walks Help Keep Your Brain Healthy and Functioning

A walk in the great outdoors may be a powerful tool when it comes to protecting your brain function.

A new study finds something as simple as a garden stroll can help restore attention span.

Researchers analyzed EEG data recorded from 92 participants before and after they took a 40-minute walk.

Half of the participants walked through a large arboretum and half through an urban area filled with parking lots.

A series of tests given before and after the walks showed those who engaged with nature felt more restored and showed significantly improved attention capacity.

One author says, “The kinds of things that we do on an everyday basis tend to heavily use those executive attentional networks. It's important in concentration…so it's an essential component of higher order thinking.”

Future research will look at what types of nature help most and how much exposure is needed.